


Family Ties

by VivArney



Category: Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 11:03:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5624626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VivArney/pseuds/VivArney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Family Honor</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Ties

Sergeant Broderick looked up as a young girl walked up to the counter. "Can I help you, Miss?" the officer asked brusquely.

"My name is Mei Ping Wu. I need to speak with Peter Caine."

"He's not here just now. Can anybody else help you?" 

She shook her head. "No. When will he be back?"

"Shouldn't be too long," he told her.

"Can I wait?"

Broderick shrugged. "If you like." He pointed toward the back of the room. "You can take a seat over there and I'll tell him you're here when he comes in.

Mei Ping thanked him and sat down on the bench he'd indicated. She hadn't really thought out exactly what she would do beyond meeting Peter Caine and she couldn't believe she was this nervous. She opened her purse and checked again to make sure the photograph and paper were still there. They were, of course, they had been since she'd stuck them into her purse three days ago. She closed her purse and took in the rest of the room.

From where she sat, she could see most of the squadroom. She looked at each of the four cops seated at the desks, her dark eyes filled with curiosity.  
There were two lady cops. One had curly blonde hair, the other straight black hair. The blonde was on the phone while the other typed at her computer.

The older guy with greying hair and thick glasses didn't fit the mental image Mei Ping had of cops. He reminded her more of her English teacher back at school.

The only other person in the room at the moment was a big, burly guy with a buzz cut. He was barking orders into a phone receiver and she felt an instant dislike toward him.

After about twenty minutes, a tall, dark haired man in a denim jacket came in, poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at an unoccupied desk.  
The uniformed officer at the counter walked over to him, pointed to her and went back to the counter to answer the phone.

The guy in the jean jacket half stood and motioned her over.. 

Mei Ping narrowly avoided a uniformed cop barely restraining a teenager with bright orange hair as she approached the desk.

"Hi. I'm Peter Caine," he said, holding out a hand to her. "Have a seat."  
Mei Ping shook his hand and sat down. She stared into inquisitive hazel eyes. He was a handsome man despite the scar over his right eye and the bump at the bridge of his nose that showed it had obviously been broken at some point. 

"My name is Mei Ping Wu." 

"What can I do for you?" 

"I need to find Kwai Chang Caine," she said. "I saw the two of you on the news . . . "

Peter frowned. There had been a lot of crackpots showing up lately as a result of the interview he and his father had done some months before. The girl sitting on the other side of the desk couldn't be more than fourteen or fifteen years old. She was pretty with classic Asian features, slightly blurred as his father's were, and dressed like almost every other teenager in the area: T-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

"Yeah, well do you mind telling me why you want to talk to him?"

"I need his help."

"My father doesn't have any money."

She frowned. "Is that why you think I'm here?" she asked in horror.

Peter shrugged. "There've been any number of whackos coming around because of that interview. Some want money, one guy wanted to challenge him to a fight, another guy wanted to "follow" him."

"I would never hurt him," she assured him earnestly.

"So, tell me what you need," Peter insisted, taking a sip of his lukewarm coffee.

She sighed. "Kwai Chang Caine is my father."It was all Peter could do to keep from spewing the coffee all over the paperwork on his desk. He swallowed hard, then coughed as the coffee somehow got side-tracked and went down the wrong pipe.

Skalany slapped him on the back a couple of times as she walked past.

"What?" he asked in disbelief, his voice rough from the brief choking.

"Why should I repeat myself? You obviously heard what I said."

Peter coughed again. "Humor me."

The girl took a deep breath. "My mother met him several years ago. He is my father and I want to see him. Now, will you please tell me where he is?"

Peter's mind whirled. He had been half-expecting something like this since his father's return, but actually having it happen was upsetting.

"You look like you don't believe me."

"Like I said, we've had a lot of strange people saying some pretty weird things."

She pulled a photograph from her purse and held it out to him.

Peter stared at it. It showed his father in his usual clothing seated at a small table with a tiny, quite beautiful, Chinese woman who looked a bit like Mei Ping.

"Okay, he knew your mother," he admitted. "That doesn't make him your father." He handed the photo back to her.

"Why are you being so difficult?"

"I'm trying to protect my father, Ms. Wu. He doesn't understand con artists."

"What will it take to convince you?"

Peter shrugged. "Birth Certificate, maybe?"

She slammed a piece of paper down angrily on the desk, making the pile of reports avalanche onto the floor.

Sighing, Peter bent to retrieve the reports, surprised when the girl also began picking up the scattered papers.

"Sorry," she said softly after the mess was cleaned up. She quietly handed him the piece of paper she'd pulled from her purse.

Peter's eyes flicked from the girl's face to the birth certificate and back again. There it was in black and white. Mei Ping Wu had been born on July 16, 1982 in Eddleton, New York. Her mother's name was listed as Elizabeth Mei Wu and her father - Kwai Chang Caine. He handed the paper back to her without a word, his face pale. "Okay, come on," he told her quietly, reaching for his jacket. "I'll take you to him." 

Of course, it could still be a hoax, but he wanted his father's input on this.  
There was silence in the car as Peter drove to the building where his father lived. He parked the car and turned to the girl. "Let's get one thing straight here," he said in a low voice. "If this turns out to be some kind of scam, I'll have you in cuffs in two seconds."

The girl burst into tears and Peter suddenly felt like a bully. 'She's just a kid,' he reminded himself. He rooted around in the glove box, found some napkins that looked relatively clean and handed them to her.

"I'm sorry, Mei Ping," he said. "I..."

She wiped at her eyes. "It's okay. I know you want to protect him, but I don't know what else to do."

"Are you okay, now?" he asked after a few minutes.

She nodded, blowing her nose.

"Let's go up and we'll see what my father and I can do."

"You'd help me, too?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Well, if what you say is true - " he held up a finger, "and the jury's still out on that one - then you're my little sister and we Caines have to stick together."

She smiled.

"That's better."

They got out of the car and walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.  
"Hey, Pop! Are you here? I've got a surprise for you!" Peter yelled as he and the girl entered the apartment.

Kwai Chang Caine came out of the room he used for meditation.

"Pop... Dad, this is Mei Ping Wu."

Caine bowed to the girl.

"She says she's your daughter," Peter continued. He handed his father the photograph and birth certificate.

Caine looked at them, then over at the girl. 

[ [ [ [ [ 

He remembered the day he'd met Elizabeth Wu. It had been bitter cold as he walked down the narrow country road. The snow had covered everything which made finding edible plants difficult. He hadn't had anything, but melted snow for two days and he was nearing exhaustion.  
Suddenly, he felt a tug at his pants' leg and he was knocked to his knees. A split second later, another tug at his shoulder knocked him into a snow bank. He heard drunken laughter as pain blasted his senses. On the edge of unconsciousness, he tried to find his center and control the pain. He knew he had to escape from whoever was shooting, but he couldn't seem to gather enough energy to concentrate. The snow beneath him was slippery as he tried to get up and he fell face down into the ditch. Caine knew his body temperature was becoming dangerously low, but he was too weak from loss of blood to do anything about it.

He didn't know how long he'd been lying there, bleeding into the snow when he heard a car pull up beside him.

Voices approached.

"I told you I saw something, Sadie," a girl's voice said insistently.

"Uck, it's just some tramp. Don't touch him, Elizabeth!"

A warm hand closed around his wrist. "He's alive! Help me get him out of the snow."

"Can't we just send somebody back for him?"

"He'll die!"

"What's another tramp? He's probably on drugs or drunk."

He tried to speak, but couldn't get his mouth to cooperate. Opening his eyes seemed like a good possibility, but he couldn't force them open. He could still feel the warmth of Elizabeth's hand on his arm. It moved the cuff of his coat and he heard her gasp as she spotted the dragon branded into the skin of his forearm. 

"He's Shaolin!" Elizabeth cried in astonishment. "Sadie, we've got to get him out of here!"

"He's what? Don't tell me you know this guy!"

"I'll explain later," Elizabeth promised. "He's going to need a doctor. Help me get him into the car."

"Okay, okay!" Sadie agreed.

He felt himself being lifted and carried a short distance. His body was too sapped of energy to be of any help despite his best intentions. He tried, but couldn't suppress a groan as one of the women got a grip on his injured shoulder. He fought an internal battle against the pain and the struggle seemed to clear his head.

He was laid a little roughly - Sadie slipped and almost fell - in the back seat of a vehicle. The doors were closed and the engine roared to life.  
Someone turned on the heat and he groaned as the warmth brought back the pain that had been numbed by the cold.

"Turn it off!" Elizabeth demanded.

"Are you crazy?" Sadie cried. "It's freezing!"

"You want him to bleed to death? If he warms up, his blood will flow faster. We've got to get him to a doctor, but right now, the cold is saving his life."

He heard the heater snap off abruptly. The cold returned as did the numbness.

"So what's this Show lin?"

"That's Shaolin. It's a religious sect - Buddhist I think - my grandmother escaped from China before it went Communist. The Shaolin are well respected there."

"Oh great, a cult - like Jim Jones?" Sadie asked, remembering the horrible images of the mass suicide they'd seen on the news a few years earlier.

"No, Sadie, NOT like Jim Jones!" Elizabeth insisted. "They're peaceful. He's a priest."

"How can you tell?"

"Did you see the mark on his arm? They have a dragon branded on one arm and a tiger on the other."

"Sounds pretty brutal to me."

He didn't hear any more of the conversation as he slipped into darkness and silence. 

[ [ [ [ [ 

“Are you okay, Pop?"

"Yes, Peter, I am all right. The memory is a painful one."

"Then she is your daughter?"

Caine studied the girl standing before him. "I must speak with Elizabeth. Where is your mother, Mei Ping?"

"At home, I guess. She won't miss me."  
Caine poured water into the teapot. "Are you certain of this?"

Mei Ping nodded. "She's always too busy. I don't think she's even noticed I've gone."

"Busy?"

"Running Grandpa's clinic. Ever since he died, she's been over there all the time."

"And you believe she has abandoned you?"

"I know she's trying to help people and maybe I'm acting like a spoiled brat, but, until a couple of days ago, I hadn't even seen her in two weeks. She's gone before I get up and home after I've gone to bed. The only person I see anymore is Mary, our housekeeper and I don't like her much. All she does is gossip."

"Why did you leave?"

Tears filled her eyes. "W-We had a big fight and I... ran away."

"How did you find me?" Caine asked. 

"I was here in town with the U.I.L. a few months ago and saw the interview you and Peter did. I thought that, if things got bad enough, I could come live with you."

"Your mother does not know you have come here?"  
Mei Ping shook her head. "She had gone to bed before I left. She's always told me you were a good man. I figured that, since she doesn't want me around anymore that I could come live with you."

"I see," he said, pouring out tea for the three of them.

"Do you know this woman, Pop?" 

Caine nodded. "I owe her my life."

"Can I stay?" Mei Ping asked.

"Of course. I would like to speak with your mother."

"Why? She'll just yell at me for running away."

Peter sighed. "Running away won't solve anything, Mei Ping. Believe me, I've tried."

She looked up at him.

"It's a long story," Peter told her.

Caine studied the teenager intently. "What did you "fight" about?"

She shrugged. "I failed English again. I just... I can see the words on the paper, but they just don't make sense. I get real frustrated and can't finish my assignments. She wants me to go to college, but..."

"Your grades aren't good enough," Peter finished.

She nodded. "And she gets mad."

[ [ [ [ [ 

"Pop?" Peter began a short time later when Mei Ping went into the small bathroom.

"Is she my daughter?" Caine asked for him. He could feel the uncertainty in his son. "Yeah."

Caine shook his head. "I owe Elizabeth my life, but Mei Ping is not my daughter."

"How can you be so certain?"

Caine took a deep breath. "Peter, Elizabeth left for nursing school in early August. I have not seen her since that day. Mei Ping was born in July of the next year."

"So, unless Elizabeth had the longest pregnancy in human history, there's no way you could be her father."

Caine nodded. "No, there is not."

"Why did Mei Ping's mother tell her you were?"

"I do not know," Caine said softly. "I will need your help to discover the truth, my son."

"What can I do?"

"Would you try to locate Elizabeth Wu? She lives in Eddleton, New York. I would like to speak with her."

"Should I get her to come here?"

"That would be best. I do not believe we will be able to convince Mei Ping to go there with us."

"Okay, Pop."

They heard a door slam and the sound of running feet.

"Damn, she must have heard us!" Peter yelled. He bolted out the door, raced down the stairs and into the street. He looked around for Mei Ping, but there was no sign of the teenager. Hazel eyes scanning both sides of the street, he hurried past the shops and slowly moving pedestrians. He'd gotten about two blocks when he heard a piercing scream. He froze for a brief moment, trying to pinpoint the direction of the sound, then ran down a trash strewn alley.

Mei Ping was surrounded by four tough looking young men. One had her by the throat and was pushing her toward the wall.

"Police! Freeze!" Peter yelled, pulling his gun and running toward the group. "Let the girl go."

The toughs looked over at him then, all except the one holding Mei Ping, ran toward him.

Peter fired at the closest gang member and he dropped to the ground, clutching his injured arm. The other two froze. Peter glared at them as he handcuffed the injured man to a nearby railing. "Now, unless the rest of you want the same, you'll put your hands on that wall." 

The thugs just stared at him.

"NOW!"

The one holding Mei Ping released her and turned his face to the wall Peter had indicated.

"Mei Ping, call 911. Tell them I need assistance in the alley between Mo Lai and Yin Sung streets. Tell them to send back-up," Peter told her without taking his eyes off the three thugs still standing.

"But..."

"Do it, Mei Ping!" he ordered. "Then, go back to Pop's place."

She took off. 

He had finally managed to get all three of the uninjured thugs to stand against the wall and was in the middle of searching them when he heard the wail of an approaching siren. "It's about time, guys," he muttered as he glanced toward the street. He heard a rustle behind him, but before he could turn, he felt a ripping pain in his right arm. Peter let out a cry as the knife went deep into the muscles of his forearm. He fought the urge to double over and, cradling his injured arm protectively, kicked out at the man he'd shot, sending him crashing into the brick wall. He hit with a solid, bone shattering crunch and lay, unmoving, on the filthy asphalt. Peter, his body tight with pain, reeled and that was enough to give his attackers the advantage. The remaining gang members rushed him and knocked him to the ground.   
Suddenly, there was a sound like a cannon going off. The echo was almost deafening in the brick walled alley. 

The thugs froze and looked up to see a man wearing a dark suit and green glasses aiming a gun that looked like it could kill an elephant in their direction.

"Now, ladies, would you mind standing very slowly and releasing my friend there. He doesn't look like he's having a very good time."

"Who the hell are you, man?" one of the thugs asked.

"Oh, just a computer geek," Kermit answered with a dangerous grin. "If you think I'm mad now, you should see what I do with hackers." He motioned with his gun again. "Move it or lose it, ladies."

They chose to move it. They stood and held up their hands in surrender. 

"Very nice, ladies," Kermit taunted. "Just stand right there. We've got some nice shiny bracelets coming for you."

The thugs made some particularly rude comments, but a look from the ex-mercenary made them go suddenly quiet. 

Jody Powell, Frank Strenlich and several uniformed officers ran into the alley. They quickly cuffed the gang members, while Kermit squatted to check on Peter.  
"Stay put, Peter," Kermit warned as the younger man tried to rise. The knife in the Peter's arm was hard to miss, but Kermit knew better than to try to remove it. "Can't say I like the looks of your new hardware."  
"I'm not real thrilled with it either," Peter said, weakly. "Lucky I'm left-handed - I can still finish those reports."

"Well, you nailed one of them, Peter," Jody said, coming over. "How'd you find these guys? We've been trying to catch them for weeks."

"Just lucky I guess."

"Ambulance is on the way," Strenlich said. "I'm surprised your father isn't here."

"He is."

They looked up to see Kwai Chang Caine standing at the entrance to the alley with a teenage girl. The instant she spotted Peter lying on the asphalt, the knife still protruding from his arm, she burst into tears.

"It's all my fault!" she wailed.

Jody went to the girl and tried to walk her away, but she wouldn't go.   
Peter wanted to say something to her, tell her it wasn't her fault, but somehow he just didn't have the energy left.

Caine knelt beside his son. He carefully cut away the sleeve of the jacket and the shirt beneath and peered at the wound. The knife had gone in at an angle, but had missed the bones. He forced himself to ignore Mei Ping's sobs and focus on his son's injury. He could feel the pulsing pain radiating from Peter's arm. He took a deep breath.

"Rest, my son," Caine said. He touched Peter's forehead and the younger man's body went limp. Seeing the concern on the ex-mercenary's face, he smiled slightly. "Peter is sleeping, Kermit." He reached toward the knife.

"Caine, are you sure you should...?" Kermit began.

The Shaolin priest looked up at the ex-mercenary. "I must. The knife is dirty. The longer the blade remains in Peter's arm, the more chance there will be for infection."

"Anything I can do?"

Caine nodded, his weatherbeaten face a mask of anguish at the thought of the pain he would have to inflict on his son. "You will have to hold his arm motionless while I remove the knife."

Kermit winced. "That's going to hurt like hell."

"I must remove it. Will you help me?"

Kermit nodded, a resigned look on his face. He sighed. "Let's get on with it," he said, his voice tight. He knelt and reached down to wrap his fingers tightly around Peter's wrist and elbow. "Okay, Caine, ready when you are."

Caine took a deep breath then reached down and touched the handle of the knife. His heart lurched as Peter groaned. If merely touching the handle brought his son such pain, what would removing the knife do to his son. Steeling himself, he wrapped both hands around the handle and pulled.

Kermit struggled to hold Peter's arm down as the younger man cried out and his body arched as Caine removed the knife. 

"You may release him, Kermit," Caine said quietly, hurling the knife away from them in disgust.

"Pop, what...?"

Caine touched his son's forehead again and Peter's eyes closed. "He will be "good as new" in a day or so," Caine told Kermit softly.

Kermit let out a sigh of relief. "Good. What does she mean it's all her fault? What was Peter doing down here? Do you want to tell me what happened, or do I have to wait for Sleeping Beauty to explain."

Caine stood and, while he watched his son and the other injured man being loaded into the waiting ambulance, he told Kermit what had happened in the alley.

"I'll see what I can find," Kermit promised Caine as he and the other officers left with the remaining prisoners. 

[ [ [ [ [ 

When Kermit returned to the precinct. He made a few phone calls and finally reached Elizabeth Wu in Eddleton. 

"Ms Wu, this is Detective Kermit Griffin with the 101st Precinct. You have a daughter named Mei Ping?"

"My God, have you found her?" the woman's voice was full of tears. "Is she all right?"

"Yes. She's fine. She's with a friend, Kwai Chang Caine, at the moment. 

"Thank God!" she cried. 

He gave her instructions on how to find Kwai Chang Caine in Chinatown.

"I'll be right there to pick her up. Thank you so much, Detective Griffin."

"We'll talk more when you arrive." He gave her his cellular phone number and they hung up.

The phone rang and Kermit picked it up. "Griffin."

"This is Dr. Sabourin. I'm calling about Peter Caine. His father doesn't have a phone and he asked me to call you or Paul Blaisdell."

"Paul's out of town at a conference," he told her. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I'm ready to release him. Can you come pick him up?"

"I can be there in ten minutes, Doctor. How is he?"

"He'll be fine. From the reports I got, the knife went almost all the way through his arm and he should have lost the use of it, but now it just looks like a deep gash. I assume that was his father's doing."

Kermit couldn't suppress a grin. "Oh, yeah."

"Well, he needs to rest that arm until it has a chance to heal. I'm concerned that he's a little drained, but the stress and blood loss could be a cause for that."

"Don't worry, he'll get plenty of rest. Caine told me to bring him back to his place."

She chuckled. "That should do it. Thank you, Detective Griffin."

"I'll be there as soon as possible," he promised her then hung up. 

[ [ [ [ [ 

"I'd rather go to my place," Peter complained as Kermit pulled the Corvair to a stop in front of Caine's building.

"Well, I have orders from both of your fathers and your mother to bring you here and I don't want any crap out of you," Kermit said with a grin. 

Peter stared over at the other man in amusement. "Ganging up on me, are they?"

"Oh, yeah," Kermit agreed.  
He helped Peter out of the passenger seat and the two of them walked slowly up the stairs. Peter was still pale and his arm was in a sling. He was obviously in pain, but he had refused pain medication at the hospital. Dr. Sabourin had insisted he take the antibiotics she'd prescribed and left it at that.

Caine was waiting for them at the top of the stairs. "Thank you, Kermit, for bringing my son home."

"No problem, Caine. That was some job you did on Peter's arm, Dr. Sabourin was amazed."

"Yeah, thanks, Pop," Peter said. "I have a feeling it would have been a lot worse."

Caine nodded and the two of them helped Peter to a cot Caine had set up in one of the spare rooms. "You must rest now, my son."

"Where is Mei Ping?"

"In the workroom. She believed you would not wish to see her."

"You know better than that."

"Yes, but she does not."

Peter groaned as he shifted his arm.

"You are in pain, my son."  
"It's okay."

"No, it is not."

Kermit shrugged. "He wouldn't let Dr. Sabourin give him anything."

"That was not wise, Peter."

"I hate the way pain medicine makes me feel, Pop," Peter complained.

Caine nodded. He left for a few minutes and returned with a small cup of tea. "You must drink this."

Peter, noting the look in his father's eyes, downed the warm liquid without a word. He lay back on the cot and tried to relax.

"Come, Kermit, he will not sleep if we are near."

"Pop, I don't want to sleep, I want to..." he drifted off before he could complete the sentence.

"That's good stuff!" Kermit said in amazement as they walked into the workroom.

"He will sleep for some time, now," Caine said. He indicated a pretty teenager who stood nervously beside the work table. "This is Mei Ping. Mei Ping, this is Peter's friend, Kermit Griffin."

"Hello," she said quietly.

"You were with Caine when Peter was attacked," he said. 

She shook her head. "I was the one who got attacked. Peter was trying to help me and..." She burst into tears. 

"Peter will be all right," Caine reassured her.

"Well, I'd better be getting back," Kermit said quietly. "Oh, and I made that phone call."

"Thank you for everything you have done, Kermit."

"I'll come by in the morning to see how Peter's doing," he promised. 

[ [ [ [ [

Peter woke some time later. He looked around dazedly until he remembered where he was. The room was dark, but he could see a glow from the partially closed door. He felt a lot better. The throbbing pain in his arm had become only a dull ache. He started to sit up - he really had to go to the bathroom - but the thought of moving his arm and starting the pain up again made him lie back down again.  
The door opened slowly and he looked up to see his father's form enter.

"Hi, Pop," he said quietly. "What time is it?"

"Dinner is ready. Do you feel like eating?"

"I'm starved, but I've got to..."

"I thought you might." Caine carefully helped his son off the cot. 

"Would you like my assistance?"

Peter grinned. "No, I think I can manage it. Thanks anyway."

Caine left him and returned to the workroom. Peter appeared a short time later with an embarrassed look on his face. "Pop, I..."

Caine went over and did up the top button on his son's jeans. 

"Thanks," Peter said sheepishly. "What's for dinner? Where's Mei Ping?"

"Here," she said, coming out of the shadows. "Peter, I'm so sorry."

"I told you running away never did anybody any good," he teased. "It's okay. The good side of all this is that we caught those guys - they've been roughing up young girls for the past month - even Pop couldn't catch 'em in the act. They're in jail now and, after what they did to me, they'll stay there."

"But you got hurt because of me."

He shook his head. "I got hurt because I let my guard down, Mei Ping. I looked away and gave him an opening," he told her. "It's that simple."

"But..."

"No buts. I'm hungry. Let's eat." 

[ [ [ [ [

Elizabeth Wu arrived early the next morning. "Caine," She called as she came up the stairs.

"I am here," he called back. He was changing the bandage on his son's arm and did not look up.

Peter's mouth was open in awe as the woman entered the apartment. 

"Pop, is that her?" he asked, wincing as his father pulled the material tight around the arm.

Caine nodded. "Yes, Peter, that is Elizabeth Wu."

"She's gorgeous!"

"In spirit and body, my son."

Caine put the finishing touches on the bandage and looked up, his dark eyes on the woman who'd saved his life so many years ago. Elizabeth Wu was as beautiful as he remembered. He smiled fondly as he   
watched her glide into the room.

"Is it really you?" she asked in disbelief.

Caine said nothing. He simply opened his arms to her.

She stepped closer and burst into tears as he wrapped his arms around her. "I've missed you."

After a moment, she pulled away and looked around the room. Spotting her daughter, she tensed. "Mei Ping."

"Mother," the teenager's voice was tight and uncertain. 

"I must speak with Elizabeth alone," Caine said softly. "Peter, will you and Mei Ping make tea?"

"Sure, Pop. Come on, Mei Ping, let's go get a soda or something." He stood and led the girl into the workroom.

"How did she find you?" she asked quietly.

Caine told her about the news broadcast and Mei Ping's visit to the precinct. "Elizabeth, why does she believe I am her father when I cannot be?"

Her dark eyes filled with tears. "After I left for nursing school, I was so homesick... My roommate, Sarah Lu, tried to cheer me up by taking me to parties and setting me up with blind dates. One night, her brother, George, asked me out. He seemed nice enough - he even reminded me of you in some ways - I guess I was more upset than I thought. When he was driving me back, I started crying. He tried to comfort me and - one thing led to another and, a few months later, I found out I was pregnant.

"I went to George, but he called me terrible names and refused to believe the baby was his. He and Sarah told the other students that I'd slept around and that I was trying to trap him. George was the only man I'd been with since I got to the school." She wiped at the tears on her cheeks and took a deep breath.

"They would not believe the truth?" Caine asked.

She shook her head. "Most people would rather believe the worst - it makes for better gossip."

"And your father?"

"I finally called him and told him I was pregnant, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him about George. He just said, 'At least it was Caine and not some low-life scum with notches in his bedposts.' I didn't... I didn't have the heart to correct him. He told me to come home and he and Rachel delivered Mei Ping when the time came. And, since he didn't know any different, he put your name on the birth certificate."

He nodded.

"Please understand, Caine, I wanted my daughter to have a father she could be proud of instead of having to live with the shame of my bad judgement. We told her how we met and why you had to leave. You're a hero to her."

He shrugged. "I am only a man."

Elizabeth smiled. "Do you hate me for perpetuating a lie?"

Caine shook his head and cupped her face in his hands. "No, I do not. One day, she must be told."  
"I know. I'm just waiting for the right time."

"And when was that going to be?"

They looked up to see Mei Ping standing in the doorway, holding a tray with a teapot and cups.. 

"Mei Ping!"

The teenager threw the tray onto the floor and dashed down the hallway. They heard the door slam.

Peter came running. "What happened? Oh, no, not again!"

"She overheard your father and me," Elizabeth replied.

"Elizabeth, Mei Ping is hurt and confused. Where would she go to 'sort it all out'?"

"Up. We could never keep her off the roof when she was upset."

Peter sighed. It would have to be up. "I'll go. I don't think she'll want to talk to either of you, just now." He left the room and opened the door to the roof. He knew how the girl felt. It was hard enough being a teenager without the people you trusted telling you lies. He remembered the pain and anger he'd felt when he learned Ping Hai had lied to him. 

He found Mei Ping sitting on a large crate, staring out at the city. The day was cool and cloudy. He shivered as an icy breeze wrapped itself around him.

"Hi."

"Go away."

Peter ignored her and pulled over another crate. "Wanna talk?"

"No."

"Mind if I do?"

She shrugged. "Whatever." She continued staring down at the city below.

"I know how you feel."

"You don't either. You can't."

Peter couldn't suppress a smile. "Wanna bet?"

She turned and looked at him for the first time. "Try me."

"Did your mother ever tell you about destruction of my father's temple?"

"Yeah, some guy named Ping Hai told him you were dead."

He nodded. "Right. After what happened, Ping Hai knew Tan would try to kill my father and me again, so he told both of us the other had died."

"But he wasn't dead, he found you."

"Well, I found him. When I realized what Ping Hai had done... I was angry and hurt. Just like you are now. I wanted to kill the old bastard for what he'd done. His lie kept Pop and I apart for fifteen years." He sighed. "The good side is that - when Tan did come back - my father and I were strong enough to beat him. We might not have been before."

"At least you have a father."

"Mei Ping, I'm sure your mother thought she was doing the right thing at the time. She gave you a father you could be proud of, a history..." He chuckled. "A big brother to pester you. Would you have been happier if your birth certificate said: Father: Unknown?"

"I guess not, but what about my real father? What happened to him?"  
Peter shrugged. "Let's go back downstairs and talk to your mother. I think you should hear the whole story."

"But... she's lied to me for so long!"

"I think your mother felt she had a good reason for keeping the truth to herself."

"Just like Ping Hai?"

He nodded. "Just like Ping Hai," he agreed. Some of the pain at that memory eased as he said it. Ping Hai had meant well. He had cared for Peter until he was too sick to continue then made certain Peter would be well taken care of after he died. As much as those memories hurt, there was suddenly a comforting side of the old man's deception. He smiled down at the teenager. "Listen, if you still want to know more, I have a friend back at the precinct who might be able to help us find out."

"I'd like that."

"Good. Now, can we go downstairs? I really hate heights."

"Sure."

They went back to the stairs and rejoined Caine and Elizabeth in Caine's workroom.

Caine and Peter left the women together and went into the meditation room.

"Mei Ping, Caine told me why you ran away. I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you," Elizabeth said quietly. "I always meant for us to spend time together, but every time I turned around, there was something to do at the clinic."

"I'm sorry, too. I acted like a spoiled brat. Maybe I could come and help at the clinic, like you used to?"

"I'd like that."

"Me, too." Mei Ping took a deep breath. "Mother, what happened between you and my father. I heard part of it, but..."

Elizabeth told her the story she'd told Caine earlier. "I never knew what happened to George," she admitted when she'd finished.

"Peter said he has a friend who might be able to find out."

"It's that important to you?"

"I know what you tried to do, but I suddenly feel like I'm all alone."  
"Let's have him make the call, then."

Mei Ping went into the other room and spoke to Peter. He agreed and called Kermit on his cell phone. They decided to go somewhere and have breakfast to celebrate Caine's reunion with Elizabeth.   
[ [ [ [ [   
Peter had his mouth full of eggs when the phone rang in his pocket. He raised his arm and let his father pull it from the denim and hand it to him. Peter flipped it open one-handed. "Hello," he said. "Hi, Kermit. Huh? One armed bandit... Very funny. What did you find?" He listened for a moment. "Okay. What about next of kin? Oh. Well, thanks, Kermit. Yeah, tell Annie I'll come see her later this afternoon. Yeah, I promise, no breakdancing. Bye."

Three sets of eyes were on him as he put the phone back into his pocket.

"What is it?" Mei Ping asked.

"According to Kermit, Sarah and George Lu were killed in a car accident in February 1982. There were no next of kin listed."

"Oh, my God," Elizabeth whispered.

"I'm sorry, Mei Ping," Peter said.

The teenager reached over and hugged her mother. "I'm the one who should be sorry," she said quietly. "I caused all this trouble over a bad English grade."

"Elizabeth, I have a friend who may be able to help Mei Ping with her school work. If you will allow it."

"If it will help, I'd go to the devil himself."

"That will not be necessary," Caine said with a grin. 

[ [ [ [ [

"Caine, it's so good to see you," the woman called as he entered her office the next morning with Mei Ping and Elizabeth. 

"And you as well, Marie. I have brought a friend to see you. She is having a great deal of trouble in school and I thought you might be able to help her."

"Certainly."

"This is Mei Ping Wu and her mother, Elizabeth."

"Hello, Mei Ping, Elizabeth," she said. "I'm Marie Couton. Mei Ping, will you come with me?"

She shrugged. "Okay."

Caine and Elizabeth took a seat in the waiting room until the woman returned. Marie motioned for them to come into her office and, when they'd each taken a seat beside Mei Ping, she took a deep breath.   
"I'm glad you brought Mei Ping in today, Caine. She's a very bright young lady and, with help, she'll be able to accomplish anything she wishes."

"With help?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ms Wu, Mei Ping has a slight learning disorder. That's why she can read the words, but not understand them."

Caine took Mei Ping's hand as she began to cry.

"Honey, it's not that serious," Marie said, coming over and putting an arm across the girl's slim shoulders. 

"I'm just glad it's not something I'm doing," the teenager said softly.  
"No, Mei Ping, your brain is just 'playing tricks.' It's something you can overcome with some training," Marie promised. "I'm surprised it wasn't caught earlier."

"Mei Ping lives in a very small community," Caine told the woman. "Eddleton, Hew York."

She nodded. "I'll put together a list of colleagues in that area for her and she can pick one she'll feel comfortable with. There's no reason she can't go to college in a few years, if she wants."

Caine smiled and squeezed the teenager's hand. 

"All those arguments and it wasn't her fault," Elizabeth whispered. "I feel terrible.""Don't, Ms Wu. Like dyslexia and illiteracy, some children learn to "cheat" around it. They learn to function despite it. There's no way, without training, that you could have spotted it. What happens now is up to you and your daughter. If she puts as much effort into her training as she did in hiding her problem, she'll be at the top of her class."

"That is good to hear," Caine said.

"I'll get that list for you," Marie said as she left the room.

"Can I come and visit you and Peter some time?" Mei Ping asked.

"Yes, with you mother's permission," he agreed. He held up a finger and looked at her sternly. "You will not run away again."

"Yes, sir," she said with a grin.

"That is not necessary."

"What should I call you, then?"

He grinned and patted her cheek. "Anything, but Pop."


End file.
